Achieve Awarded $100,000 Grant From Cummings Foundation

Former Achieve students who now attend Nobles celebrate news of the grant with Achieve leaders. From left to right: Associate Director of Development Cat Kershaw, Gevaniah Gabeau ’17, Dayyana Poux ’20, Giana De La Cruz ’20, Angelina Gomes ’19, Assistant Director of Achieve Janim Sayles and Executive Director of Achieve Nora Dowley-Liebowitz.

Achieve is one of 100 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 through the Cummings Foundation’s “$100K for 100” program. Achieve was selected from among 549 applicants during a competitive review process. The $100K for 100 program supports nonprofits that are based in and serve Middlesex, Essex and Suffolk counties. This year, the program benefits 35 cities and towns in the Commonwealth.

Achieve is housed at Noble and Greenough School and aims to motivate and support middle school students from under-resourced Boston neighborhoods. The program, founded in 2007, offers transformative academic and enrichment experiences rooted in strong mentoring relationships.

“We are incredibly humbled to be awarded this grant,” says Achieve Executive Director Nora Dowley-Liebowitz. “This recognition of our work is a milestone, and the funding will have immediate impact on our operational budget, while it also supports the evolution of our program. The generosity of the Cummings Foundation will translate to Achieve’s ability to transform more lives through education.”

Representing Achieve, Dowley-Liebowitz and Associate Director of Development Cat Kershaw joined approximately 300 other guests at a June 8 reception at TradeCenter 128 in Woburn to celebrate the $10-million infusion into Greater Boston’s nonprofit sector. With the conclusion of this grant cycle, the Cummings Foundation has awarded more than $170 million to local nonprofits.

The Cummings Foundation aims to give back in areas where its affiliate Cummings Properties owns commercial real estate. Founded in 1970 by Bill Cummings of Winchester, the Woburn-based firm leases and manages more than 10 million square feet of space, the majority of which benefits the Foundation. The Foundation’s assets exceed $1.4 billion.

“Nonprofit organizations like Achieve are vital to the local communities where our colleagues live and work,” said Joel Swets, the executive director of the Cummings Foundation. “We are delighted to invest in their efforts.”

This year’s diverse group of grant recipients represents a wide variety of causes, including homelessness prevention and affordable housing, education, violence prevention and food insecurity. The Achieve grant will be paid over four years.

“Achieve set out to help close the opportunity gap associated with too few resources,” said Dowley-Liebowitz. “”Achieve—and the families we serve—appreciate the Cummings Foundation’s belief in our mission and its impact.”

Pictured: Former Achieve students who now attend Nobles celebrate news of the grant with Achieve leaders. Pictured from left to right are Associate Director of Development Cat Kershaw, Gevaniah Gabeau ‘17, Dayyana Poux ‘20, Giana De La Cruz ‘20, Angelina Gomes ‘19, Assistant Director of Achieve Janim Sayles and Executive Director of Achieve Nora Dowley-Liebowitz.